This is Beirut

Erdogan Hails Syria Leader's 'Strong Commitment' to Fighting Terror

This is Beirut, 04/02 21:21 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Ahmad al-Sharaa Recep Tayyip Erdogan Syria

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for his "strong commitment" to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey. Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia where he had sought Riyadh's support to fund Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil ...

Syria's Sharaa Says Elections Could Take Up to Five Years

This is Beirut, 03/02 21:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa

Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa said Monday organising elections could take up to five years, the week after he was appointed interim president and less than two months after ousting Bashar al-Assad. "My estimate is that the period of time will be approximately between four and five years until the elections," Sharaa said in a pre-recorded ...

Car Bomb Kills 15 in Northern Syria

This is Beirut, 03/02 16:07 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria

A car bomb on Monday killed 15 people, mostly women farm workers, in the northern Syrian city of Manbij where Kurdish forces are battling Turkey-backed groups, state media reported. Citing White Helmet rescuers, SANA news agency said there had been a "massacre" on a local road, with "the explosion of a car bomb near a vehicle transporting ...

Mitigated or Stifled Transitions?

Charles Chartouni, 03/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Gaza Iran Israel USA

The transitions in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza are still controversial, and their actors are undecided about their outcomes. Observers ask whether the various actors are genuinely interested in the transformative courses and to what extent. The newly set dynamics that have taken place throughout the Near East have not yet been relayed by steadier, ...

Syria Leader Says Saudis Want to Help Rebuild War-Torn Country

This is Beirut, 02/02 18:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said Saudi Arabia had a "genuine desire" to help rebuild his war-torn country, after meeting on Sunday with the oil-rich Gulf state's crown prince. Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state ...

Explaining the Diplomatic Roller-Coaster in Damascus

Élie-Joe Kamel, 31/01 22:10 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

European Union Gulf Israel Syria Turkey Kurds

The diplomatic roller-coaster in Syria’s capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime suggests that a strategic shift is underway. This is all the more significant as the Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, made an official visit to Damascus on Thursday, where he was received by the interim Syrian president, Ahmad ...

Bashar al-Assad's Cousin Atif Najib Arrested in Latakia

This is Beirut, 31/01 18:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bashar al-Assad Syria Atif Najib

Syria's new authorities on Friday announced the arrest of a cousin of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, accused of orchestrating a crackdown in Daraa, where the 2011 uprising began. Atif Najib, the former head of political security in Daraa in southern Syria, was arrested in Latakia, on the country's west coast, the official SANA news agency ...

Syria Sanctions: EU's 'Carrot and Stick' Policy

Liliane Mokbel, 31/01 17:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

European Union Syria Sanctions US

The 27-member European Union agreed on Monday on a "roadmap" to gradually ease sanctions on key sectors of the Syrian economy that were imposed under the former regime of Bashar al-Assad. However, the EU has ruled out any unconditional lifting of these measures. The process will be gradual and subject to strict conditions. In other words, the bloc ...

In First Address to the Nation, Sharaa Promises "National Dialogue" and Stability

This is Beirut, 30/01 23:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ahmad al-Sharaa Syria Damascus

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised Thursday to hold a "national dialogue conference" in his first address to the nation since the fall of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa, who was appointed interim president a day earlier for an unspecified transitional period, vowed to preserve "civil peace" and Syria's territorial ...

Syrian Cemeteries: Families Continue Search for the Missing

This is Beirut, 30/01 21:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Missing Assad Regime

More than a month after the fall of Assad’s regime on December 8, families are still searching for missing loved ones. At Tal al-Naser cemetery, Adnan Deeb, known as Abu Sham, combs through worn ledgers of the dead – some with names, others reduced to mere codes. Among those searching is Fairuz, a mother from Homs who still hopes to find her ...

Syria's New Interim President Welcomes Qatar Emir to Damascus

This is Beirut, 30/01 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Qatar Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa

Syria's newly appointed interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed Qatar's emir on Thursday, the first foreign head of state to visit Damascus, the Qatari court said. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani "arrived on an official visit to Damascus" where he was "welcomed by the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmed al-Sharaa,” a court statement ...

Syria: New Authorities Announce the Dissolution of All Armed Groups

This is Beirut, 29/01 22:48 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Syria

The new authorities in Syria announced on Wednesday evening the dissolution of "all armed groups" that had led the offensive against Bashar al-Assad, as well as the dissolution of the army of the former regime, which was overthrown on December 8. "All armed groups, political and civil bodies claiming to represent the revolution are ...